58
SHOULDER PATTERNS
18. REED '\VORKSHOP: REED PAINTER AND GROUP R Lekythoi of the Reed '\Vorkshop include those by the Reed Painter himself, and those of
Group R. 1 The workshop must have been one of the most influential in the last 'decades
of the fifth century-at least a number of lekythoi attributed to different hands are con­
nected with it-among them the Anavyssos lekythoi. The Reed shoulder palmettes and
meander band of the Anavyssos lekythoi do not to my knowledge appear on lekythoi by
the Bird Painter himself. His palmettes have been described; his meander, running or
stopt, does not have pattern squares. 2 1 know of one exception, a lekythos in a private
collection in Basle,3 with broken running meanders alternating with saltire squares; the
pattern square is enclosed by the running meander. The same pattern occurs on lekythoi
by the Carlsberg Painter,4 the Woman Painter (and his manner),S at least one lekythos of
Group R (PLATE 50. 1),6 and two lekythoi of the Anavyssos Group (Athens 19333 (FIGURE
Sg) and 19334). The Achilles Painter had alternated meanders and pattern squares, but
in a different scheme: groups of stopt meanders alternately facing right and left and
pattern squares depending alternately from the upper and lower horizontallines bounding
the pattern (FIGURE sd).7 The 19333 pattern is, in fact, much nearer the Reed (FIGURE
Sh) form than the Achillean, differing principally in the formation of the pattern square,
which is not enclosed by the broken running meander: next to the closing vertical of the
meander unit comes a vertical line framing one side of the pattem square. AH of the
Anavyssos lekythoi (from the second grave), with the two stated exceptions and 19336
which has been reworked, 8 reproduce this distinctive Reed pattem. On the basis of
pattemwork, therefore, the Anavyssos lekythoi look as if they were produced in connection
with the Reed '\Vorkshop. Nor is this unlikely, given the points of similarity between
Bird and Reed lekythoi and the relationship between these painters and the \\Toman
Painter. The Bird Painter specialized in small/ekythoi with simple two-figure composi­
tions; the Reed Painter decorated many small two-figure lekythoi. The Bird Painter's
work is, on the whole, finer and more delicate than that of the Reed Painter's smaller
tekytlzoi, but the two are sometimes not far apart in spirit, and somewhere near them
stands the Anavyssos Group-more Bird than Reed in figurework, but unquestionably
Reed in pattern, with a touch of something grander. Beazley looked to the Achillean
following,9 but the Woman Painter is nearer in time and he is not without Reed affilia­
tions (see below). We think of the '\Voman Painter as a painter of large lekythoi with
J ARV' 823 ff.• 965 ff.; ARV 1376 ff., 1692; Para
485 f.
• Baste, Hagemann. AR V 1232, no. 7 qu. Marburg.
no number. ARV 1233. no. 19 (pattern squares);
Harvard, 1925.3°.54; ARV 1232, no. 2; Minneapolis,
no number. ARV 1232, no. 8 (running meander);
Bowdoin, 23.26. ARV 1232, no. 5; Athens, 19357.
ARV 1232, no. 7; ARV 1232, no. 8 bis; Phitadelphia,
L 64.186. ARV 1232, no. 10 (stopt meander).
l Basle, Hagemann. APV 1232, no. 4; Allkt;on xvi.
pI. 37, no. 150.
4 Greifswald, 365. ARV 1235, no. 1; Canberra, fr.
ARV 1235, no. 3; Munich (ex Lugano, Schoen, 81).
ARV 1235, no. 10; Boston, Oddy. ARV 1235, no. l.
5 Lyons, no number. ARV 1373, no. 24; once
.Tarportey, Brooks. ARV 1374. no. 1, and Stockholm,
no number. ARV 1374, no, 2 (Revelstoke Group,
manner of the Woman Painter).
6 Louvre, CA 537. ARV 1384, no. 18.
7 JHS xxxiv. 186 (pattem delta); Beazley, The Berlin
Painter (Melbourne, 1964),7 ('ULFA').
8 Athens, 19336. Para 467.
9 Para 467.
REED WORKSHOP
59
statuesque figures, but a good number of his lekythoi are about the same size as the
Reed Painter'sl and their decoration is not much more impressive. 2
Before turning to the patterns, the technique, and iconography of the Reed Work­
shop, a word about the distribution of its vases. AH of the Group R lekythoi of known
provenience are from Attica or Eretria. Several of the Reed lekythoi, on the other hand,
have been found elsewhere, one at Gela,3 one at Corinth,4 two at Spina, in a single
(unpubl!shed) grave,S and others fróm south-eastern Yugoslavia. 6 Apart from these
Reed lekythoi, the only white lekythoi of unquestionably funerary iconography which are·
known to have travelled in any significant numbers are from thé Tymbos Workshop-a
handful coming from the east (Rhodes),7 the west (Italy),8 and nearer home (Aegina,9
Salamis,Io and Corinth).lI Both workshops specialized in the mass production of small,
cheap funerary lekythoi for an undiscriminating public, which cared more about the
nature of the offering than its aesthetic quality (proveniences are discussed on pp. 136 ff.).
. . The Reed Painter's lekythoi are mostly small an4 rather carelessly produced, but sorne
-are larger and finer, close enough to the lekythoi of Group R for a single workshop to
have produced them (d. PLATE 5 lo 1): shapes, patterns, and pigments are similar.
Although sorne large Reed lekythoi are as góod as some.of the lekythoi·of Group R, the
quality, onthe whole, is markedly lower, and the pigment, although similar, is applied
differently. There are also iconographical differences. In short, as Beazley concluded,
Group R lekythoi are not superior work by the Reed Painter, but are by another, related
artíst, active in the same workshop. u
Matt paint is used exclusively-regularIy black for the patterns and red for the figures.
Glaze, by now, is limited to the lines, framing the meander band, at the shoulder join;
these lines are a characteristic feature of classical white lekythoi, regardless of the nature
of their outlines, and were presumably applied in the initial stage of the vase's decoration.
Both Reed and Group R lekythoi have a predominantly red colour scheme. Sorne have
added black, and others have a greater degree of polychromy, with washes of violet, blue,
green, and yellow, discreetly applied. Sorne of the Group R lekythoi are no more colour[ul
than sorne of the Reed lekythoi, and there is no noticeable difference in polychromy
among Reed lekythoi according to size. 13 Another technical feature should be mentioned
e
I Louvre,MNB sos. ARV 1372, no. IS (29 cm;
F ii. 4S); Lpuvre, MNB 613. ARV 1372. no. 19 (33
cm; F ii. 140); Louvre, CA 1329. ARV 1372. no. 20
. (33 cm; F
44); Athena. 1795.-ARV 1372. no. 22
(26 cm; F ji. 152). Cf. F ii. 136 ff. (Reed average ja
C. 30 cm).
:1 Cf. Louvre, CA 1329. ARV 1372. no. 20. See
note &hove.
l London, D 63. ARV 1378, no. 34.
4 Athena, 18u. ARV 1379, no. 54.
• Fenara, Tq6 CVP. ARV 1382, no. 123; Ferrara.
T 136C VP. ARV 1382, no. U4.
6 RA 1973.43 f.
, London, D 45. ARV 759, no. 7; London, D 44.
ARV 762, no. 29.
• Munich, 2772. ARV 754, no. 5; Munich, 2771.
ARV 7S7, no. 74; New·York, 06.1021.127. ARV 7S7.
n~. 90 (?Cerveteri); Munich, 2770. ARV 7S9, no. 13.
Cabo Méd. SOl. ARV 7S9. no. S.
Athena, 1808. ARV 759. no. 14.
n Corinth. MP 91. ARV 759, no. l •
u ARV 1376; AWL 24.
13 Reed Pajnter (small): Athena, 17S9. ARV 1376,
no. I (F ji. 137); Athena. 1999. ARV 1376. no. 2
(F ii. 136); Athens, 2000. ARV 1376. no. 3 (F ii. 136);
Athens,2028. ARV 1376, no. 4 (F ji. 137); Athena,
1910. ARV 1379, no. 72 (F ji. 141); London, D 74·
ARV 1380, no. 80 (F ii. 142) i London, D 83. ARV
1380, no. 94 (F ii. 142). Reed Painter (large): Athena,
201I. ARV 1381, no. II2 (F ii. 184); Brussels, A 124.
ARV 1381, no. II3 (F ii.170). Group R: Louvre,
CA 536. ARV 1383, no. 4 (F ji. 176); Athena, 1817·
ARV 1383, no. II (1'" ji. 167); Athens, 1816. ARV
1383, no. 12 (F ii. 167); London. D 71. ARV 1384,
no. IS (F ii. 174).
t
10
n.
81.140 X
p
60
SHOULDER PATTERNS
-preliminary sketch. 1 Preliminary sketch es have been detected both on the larger,
grander lekythoi of Group R2 and on Reed lekythoi, sometimes hastily painted.J The
presence of a preliminary s,ketch on a hastily painted lekythos indicates that preliminary
sketch is not of necessity a sign of careful workmanship. Conversely, its presence on sorne
of the Group R lekythoi indicates that the vases were not painted 'spontaneously', as has
been assumed from the impressionistic character" of their lines.
Although both the Reed Painter and the artist or artists of Group R use matt paint for
figurework, their method of expression is different: the Reed Painter's lekythoi, large and
small, have broader even lines (cf. PLATES 47, 48. 1), those of Group R have thinner,
broken lines, which give the effect of a sketch, spontaneously produced (cf. PLATES 49, so).
\Vhere the Reed Painter paints atine, the Group R artist paints several. In doing this he
achieves volume without the use of shading. The visual impression of weight is some­
times enforced by an almost oppressive atmosphere of brooding thought (PLATE 49. 1).
On these lekythoi we have a glimpse of the troubled, introspective mood of the later war
years, of which the light, pretty art of the Meidias Painter and his red-figure colleagues
gives little indication. The ponderous large-limbed seated youths on the two best-known
lekythoi of Group R command our attention by the expression on their faces. o4 Even
though these two lekythoi are not truly representative their monumentality and mood
are acknowledged hallmarks of Group R. The Reed Painter's people sometimes look
spineless and spiritless, those of his colleagues look oppressed in body and soul.
According to Pliny,5 volume through line, without the use of shadow, was the principal
achievement of the great painter Parrhasios, who was active in Athens during the Pelo­
ponesian War. Although none of his work survives, it is not unreasonable to look for
sorne reflection of it, however slight, on those Athenian vases whose white-slipped
surfaces most nearly approximate to the neutral ground of panel and wall. Modem
historians of art have been quick to associatethe lekythoi of Group R with Parrhasios;6
Rumpf's juxtaposition of a Group R lekythos and a Raphael sketch illustrated simply the
grander quality of these vases. 7 Pliny also tells us, taking his information from Hellenistic
sources, 8 that Parrhasios was especially interested in the representation of the face, the
hair, and the mouth. This seems equally true of the artist (or artists) of Group R who
tilts the face in three-quarter view, paints the hair nearly strand by strand, and purses
the mouth in a thoughtful expressión. Great care, too, is given to hands. In Group R the
hands are as valid a vehicle of expression as the face: compare the sensitively drawn,
prominently featured hands (PLATE 50.3),9 with the boneless expressionless hands of the
Reed Painter's people.
I Beazley, Potter and Painter ¡" A"cient Athem
(1946), 38 f.: ABL 156; JHS lxxxv (1965), 16 ff.
(Corbett).
• Cleveland, 28.859. ARV 1383. no. 10
Hirsch
lekythoJ described in AWL 25): Louvre, CA 537.
ARV 1384. no. 18 (F ii. 162): Louvre. CA 1264. ARV
1384, no. 19 (Mo"Piot xxii (1916), 37 f.).
J Atbens, 1759. ARV 1376, no. 1 (F ii. 137);
Atbens, 2028. ARV 1376, no. 4 (F ii. 137); London,
D 61. ARV 1377, no. 15 (F ii. 137).
• Atbens, 1817. ARV 1383, no. I l (TWL pI. 9);
Atbens, 1816. ARV 1383, no. 12 (TWL pI. 10).
s Pliny, N.H. 35. 67.
6 AJA Iv (1951), 1 ff. (Rumpf); Antike und Abend­
land v (1956),71 ff. (Karouzou): GP 148 ff.
7 AJA Iv. 5.
• Pliny, N.H. 35. 60.
• Atbens, 1817: Atbens, 19280, fr. ARV 1384. no.
14: Athens. 17276. ARV 1384. no. 16.
•
REED WORKSHOP 61 Patternwork. Reed patternwork varies little and is easily recognized. The HA shoulder
palmettes (FIGURE 24C), beneath a line or two or, rarely, an egg band,1 differ from those
of the Anavyssos lekythoi only in the tendency towards broken lines: tendrils, executed in
more than one stroke, often do not 'join';'1. heart-volutes, composed of two little arc­
spirals, often do not 'join'. This tendency towards broken lines in the shoulder decoration
of Group R lekythoi is complemented by a broken, impressionistic line in the picture
panel. The meander, running (broken), alternating at two, three, or more unit intervals
with saltire squares,. scarce1y differs from that on lekythoi by the Reed Painter.J The
lekythoi of Group R admit somewhat more variety: the Reed meander is most common,4
but there are also long thin running meanders,5 sq~ared stopt meanders,6 a running
meander enclosing a pattern square, 7 and once a 'false meander' (line terminating in die
centre of the meander, instead of coming out again) alternates with a pattern square, 8
ratherJike the Quadrate Painter's favourite square. 9 On severallekythoi of Group R the
patternwork has largely disappeared. lo
Iconography. The elements of Reed and Group R iconography are more similar than
disparate but there are notable differences: the Reed Painter prefers a simple two-figure
composition, even for many of his large lekythoi;11 Group R lekythoi, with few exceptions,
have three u or four l3 figures. By far the cornmonest Reed scene is the visit to the tomb;
the commonest tomb is a broad, rather low monument, crowned by a pediment or acanthus
leaves. 14 Mounds l5 are more common than shaft stelai,16 but neither is prominent in the
paintees amvre. A characteristic feature of these Reed tomb scenes is the illusion of
several monuments behind the principal one (cf. PLATE 52. 2).17 Visits to the tomb are the
cornrtlonest scene 00 Group R lekythoi, but on these 'shadow monuments' do not
appear (PLATE 49). (The 'shadow monuments' are presumably nothing more than a
labour·saving version of the cemetery view, sevé~al monuments being kaleidoscoped.)
The figures at the tomb on Reed lekythoi are reproduced with monotonous regularity:
seated youth and standing woman, seated woman and standing youth, standing woman
and leaning youth, etc. Seated figures on the smaller lekythoi more often than not sit
beside the tomb; on the larger Reed lekythoi they tendto sit at the tomb, as do the people
of .Group R. Standing men hold spears or lean on a staff; women hold fiUets or other
offerings. A curious detaU found on Reed lekythoi,18 large and small, is the roUed filIet,
l Würzburg, 564. ARV 1383, no. %.
a Athens, 1816. Cf. Athens, 1848. ARV 1379, no. 74.
I Leipsic, no number. ARV 1381, no. 109; cí.
WUrzburg, 564. 4 Cf. Vienna, 143. ARV 1383, no. 1; New York,
07.%86.45. ARV 1383, no. 3; London, D 71. ARV
1384, no. ÍS; New York, 41.16%.1 l. ARV 1384,
no. 2.
5 WUrzburg, 5646 Loune, CA u64.
., Louvre, CA 537.
• Áthens, 19%80. Athens Annals 01 Archaeology ii
• (1969), cover (colour).
9 ARV u36.
10 Cleveland, %8.859; Athens, 17276 (CV ii, p. 14).
n ARV 138%, no. 115 qu. and nos. 1%1-8 (ARV
138%, no. 136, has a third figure). u
ARV 1383, nos. 1-5, 8-u; 1384. nos. 15-17. u Ibid. 1383, no. 7. ADelt viii (19%3), IU, fig. %. Athens. 1767. ARV 1378, no. 31; once Vienna.
ARV 1378, no. 38.
16 Athens, 185%. ARV 1379, no. 73.
17 Bologna. PU 361. ARV 1377, no. %3; Heidelberg,
L 41. ARV 1380, no. 78.
18 Possible representations on lekythoi by other
painters: Athens, 1761. ARV U%9, no. 17 (Riezler,
107, 'eine zusammengerollte Binde mit Fransen');
Athens 164%2, unattributed (PLATE 28. 3). The shoulder
is white with lotuses and palmettes in the manner of
the Sabouroffand Thanatos Painters. See aboye, p. 35.
FIGURE 16c. London. D 38 (ARV 757. no. 71) and
1+
U
62
SHOULDER PATTERNS
held by a woman, high behind the head (PLATE 46.2). Much has been written about these fiUets, largely because they have been taken to be 'tablets' and connected by sorne with . 'Orphic' beliefs in an afterlife. 1 Orphism or Pythagoreanism is scarcely in question at this
place .and time. Fillets are important in Athenian funerary rites 2 -and in the art of the
Reed Painter. In vase-paintingJ and in sculpture (PLATE 46. 3)4 they are sometimes
represented roUed, and the ribbons streaming from several Reed 'tablets'5 establísh their.
significance beyond reasonable doubt.
The Reed Painter is excessive in his representation of fillets. They hang in profusion,
not only on tombstones, but on trees and reeds, even on the air (PLATES 47, 48). Fillets
appear on Group R lekythoi, but they are not so prominent. 6 Fillets in profusion are a
characteristic feature of two groups of lekythoi whích on the basís of other details can be
shown to be related to the" Reed Workshop-the lekythoi of the Painters of Berlín 2464
and of London D 72. The Painter of Berlín 24647 is connected with the Reed Workshop
by pattern and pigment. 8 His scenes of vísits to the tomb are very like the Reed Painter' s,
and the monuments are similar, but the 'shadow' monuments do not appear. Sorne ofhís
women wear their hair high in a chignon, like the Reed Painter's,9 but others wear a
sphendcme, 10 like the Woman Painter's, and in their gracefulline, too, they come quite close
to the Woman Painter's mode!. The relation between the Woman Paínter and the Reed
Workshop is best illustrated by the Painter of London D 72 (PLATE 46. 1)1 I-unquestion­
ably working in the 'Voman Painter's manner, hut also under the influence of the Reed
Workshop. Patternwork looks more Woman than Reed: béneath an egg band at the
neck, the shoulder palmettes, with alternately coloured leaves, are enclosed by tendrils
which flow in full, round curves. 12 The meander also assumes a form different from die
Reed Painter's-neat and unbroken, not unlike the Woman Painter's. The tombs repre­
sented on the vases are characteristically Reed, without the 'shadows'; low, rather broad
monuments with acanthus leaves are rare on lekyihoi by the Woman Painter (cf. PLATE
44.3).13 Fillets hang around them and in the air, in the Reed manner. Like the lekythoi of
the Painter of Berlin 2464, these are near the Reed Painter's, but better; in delicacy of
line and feeling they come close to sorne of the less monumental lekytllOi of Group R I 4
Boston,OO.359 (ARV 1229, no. 23) should perhaps
be added.
1
BSA Iv (1960), 155 and nn. 8-15 (Kardara).
Kurtz and Boardman, 104 ff., 123 f., 148, 167.
Exeter. University. ARV 1516, no. 80. GPP. pI. 50.
4 AM lxxi.x (1964), Beilage 48. 1, and p. 94; Jb
xxiv (19°9), pI. s.
s Copenhagen, 2789. ARV 1377. no. 12; Louvre,
MNB 616. ARV 1378, no. 44; London, D 74. ARV
1380, no. 80.
6 Meggen, Kappeli. ARV 1383, no. 6; Louvre, CA
1264. ARV 1384. no. 19.
7 ARV' 822; ARV 1243 f.; Berlin, 2463. ARV
1244 (Reed~type tomb and hair-style).
8 ARV 1243.
9 Louvre, MNB 617. ARV 1244. no. 2 (cf. ARVI
822, 'No. 2 recalls the Woman Painter'). For the
1
3
basket of offerings, cf. Athens 1956 (ARV 1372. no. 3); Louvre, MNB 618. ARV 1244, no. 3; Athens. no number. ARV 1244, no. 4. For the pose of the seated woman cf. Athens, 1907 (ARV 1382, no. 119), Athens, 1755 (ARV 1385. no. 17); Athens, 1908 (ARV "1385, no. 19). For the necklace, cf. London, D 71 (ARV 1384, no. 15). 10 Berlin, 2464. ARV 1244, no.
1; Athens, no
number.ARV 1244, no. 4.
11 ARV' 821; ARV 1375.
u London, D 72. ARV 1375, no. 1 (F ii, pI. 25. 1);
Louvre, l\INB 619. ARV 1375, no. 2 (Rie:zler 6, fig. 5, left). 13 New York, 06.II69. ARV 1372, no. 6; Athens,
14517. ARV 1374, no. 18 (manner).
14 With Athens, no number (ARV 1244. no. 4)
cf. London, D 71 (Group R), Athens, 1907 (Reed
Painter). With Athens. 17276 (ARV 1384, no. 16)
•
REED WORKSHOP Tqe Reed Painter takes his name from the reeds which are almost as much a signature _ _.. G1;
of his hand as the profusion of fillets and the illusion of kaleidoscoped mOtluments. ~
Reeds are landscape elements in Charon scenes(PLATE47. 2, 3);1 the Sabouroff Painter had
used them earlier. 2 Among later painters of lekythoi Charon is not popular,3 and the Reed
Painter is one of the few to devote much attention to him. Charon appears on a number
of small Reed lekythoi4- .with monotonous regularity: he draws his boat over the water,
which is sometimes indicated,5 tO\'irards a centrally placed reed-tree, in whose 'branches'
afillet is regularly festooned. From the other side a woman approaches, bearing an
offering or holding her cloak-Iooking very much as if she had been lifted from one of
the painter's many tomb scenes. Half of Charon's boat is represented, as is usual on
white lekythoi (cf. PLATE 23. 2);6 the missing part is filled in with stylized reeds. The same
boat comes over the same water, to the same centrally placed reed-tree on one of the
Reed Painter's larger lekythoi,' but on this vase the Charon scene has been conflated with
the visitto the tomb (PLATE 47. 1).8 The one Charon lekythos of Group R has a similarly
conflated iconography,:9 a woman bearing alab;;¡roñ and basket (like other visitors to the
grave) approaches a tomb, on which a large lekythos has been placed (PLATE 50. 1).
From the other side a hastily transformed Charon (stilllooking rather like a visitor to the
tomb-note the benign expression of the face) draws up his boat, the 'back' of which ·is
filled ih with stylized reeds. This is the only Group R lekythos on which reeds appear;
it is also, in the opinion of Beazley, the closest of Group R lekythoi to the Reed Painter
himself. 1o The figures are substantial; their hair is carefully fendered and their faces
mirror sorne emotion; the lines are rather sketchy-all in the manner of Group R. The
composition, however, is very close to one of the Reed Painter's lekythoi in London
(PLATE 47· 3)·11
Mythological ministers of Death appear on one otherlekythos of Group R: Thanatos
pursues a woman in the presence of Hermes; the figure of Hermes is large1y effaced
(PLATE 50. 2).12 The Thanatos-Hypnos theme does not appear on Reed lekythoi. 13 It
was used by the !riglyph PaiI!!,er, 14 and was popular with the Quadrate Painter,15 who
...- late lekythoi by the
at least once placed the brothers át a reed-tree. 16 ( mo
Quadrate Painter.-Be.azl.q nOled the influence of Group..-.!y' The Group
e yt lOS is !
cC. London, D 72 (ARV 1375, no.
l.
Xame-vase oC
the Painter of London D 72).
Pausanias, 10.28.1 (Nekyia of Polygnotos).
Athens, 1926. ARV 846, no. 193. CC. Boston,
95.47. ARV 670, no. 17 (near the Painter of London
E 342); Tübingen. E 60. ARV 744. no. 9 (Timokrates
Painter).
3 MadMitt x. 167 ff.
.. ARV 1376, nos. 1-8; 1377. nos. 9-1,5.
5 Athens. 1759. ARV 1376. no. I (F ji. 137).
6 But ec. Carlsruhe. B2663. ARV 7,56. no. 63; Oxford.
547. ARV 756, no. 64.
1 Hamburg. 1917.817. ARV 1381. no. 111.
a CC. the conflated Charon scenes by the
Triglyph Painter: Berlín. 2680. ARV 13Bs. no. 1;
Berlín, 2681. ARV 1385. no. 2; Athens :\Iarket. ARV
1
2
1385, no. 3.
9 Louvre. CA 537. ARV 1383. no. 18. For the
woman wíth the offerings, ec. London. D 71. 10
ARV 13 84. London, D 61. ARV 1377. no. 15. Note the pose oC Charon and the blurred outline oC his cap protruding
into the pattern band, uso the pose of the woman. her
pondeTation, dress, and offering basket.
I¡ Louvre. CA 1264. ARV 1384. no. 19. lJ MadMitt x. 164 ff. 14 Athens. 1796. ARV 1385, no. 7. '5 Athens, 1928. ARV 1237. no. 3; Athens. 12783. ARV 1237. no. II; Athens, 1939. ARV 1237, no. u;
Athens. no number. ARV 1237. no. 13.
16 Athens, 12783.
'1 London, 1928.2-13·3· ARV 1240, no. 64. Other )
Reed-isms in the work oC the Quadrate Painter inelude:
ti
1)
SHOULDER PATTERNS , unusual in its iconography: Thanatos is represented without his brother, and instead of
looking placid or sympathetic, he looks frighteningly menacing. We are reminded of the
Thanatos of the Alce#is;1 !.his Thanatos, in pose as well as countenance, would make a
much better Charon. The objectoíhis mission-a woman-seems to recoil in horror,
but her countenance is serene, and her pose may be paralleled on Reed lekythoi with
Charon scenesZ and visits to the tomb. 3 A woman in the presence of Charon assumes
nearly the same pose on one of the lekythoi from Anavyssos;4 the scene is like the Reed
Painter's and provides possible evidence for 'borrowing' in figure as well as patternwork.
Apart from visits to the tomb and mythological representations of the coming of
Death, there are two other types of scene which, at this time, seem peculiar to the Reed
Workshop, if not to the Reed Painter: s scenes of horsemen and scenes of battle (PLATE
48. 1, 2). Horsemen on smaller Reed lekythoi ride towards a reed-tree,6 lead their horse
from reeds to reed-tree, 7 ride it to the tomb,8 or sit at the tomb,9 leaving it tethered to a
nearby reed-tree. On one of the larger Reed lekythoi man, woman, and horse gather at
the tomb. 10 The Reed Painter especially liked horses-<>r at least he painted them with
much more feeling than he did their- masters. On red-figure lekythoi by the Achilles
Painter(cf. PLATE 34. 3),I1 and on a small, but rather fine, red-figure loutrophoros by the
Kleophon Painter (PLATE 45. 1),12 horsemen come to the tomb. The appearance of horse­
men on loutrophoroi is perhaps significant, for it is on these vases that scenes of combat
become popular from the middle of the fifth century.13 The earliest battle loutrophoros
which we have is by Hermonax; 14 the Achilles Painter's loutrophoros in Philadelphia,l 5 on
which he collaborated with the Sabouroff Painter, is not much latero Funerary scenes on
loutrophoroi are not new, 16 but scenes of combat are. It has been conjectured that these
loutrophoroi were commissioned to commemorate the death of those fallen in battle. 17
Sorne are certainly fine enough and the recent discovery of a marble loutrophoros with
battle-scenes in relief in the Diocharian Gate cemetery in Athens l8 tends to support this
interpretation. Scenes of combat were inevitably popular during war years and suitable
to grave monuments, public l9 and private. zo The Reed Painter may have had such models
partIy open buds onthe shoulder oC London, 1928.213.J, and the reed-tree on Athens, 12783.
I Euripides, Alkestis, 24 fr., 261, 843.
• Cf. Arlesheim, Schweizer. ARV IJ76, no. 8.
, BoIogna, PU 367. ARV 1377, no. 2J.
4 Athens, 19J42. ARV 1688, no. 4.
5 Berlín, 2677 (RiezIer, pI. 95); New York, 53.,1°7.
6 Athens, 12275. ARV lJ77, no. 16.
7 Athens, 14521. ARV 1377, no. 18.
s Oxford, 26J. ARV 1377, no. 17.
o London. D 6J. ARV lJ77. no. 34. BMCat iii. 406.
• 0 Munich, 7620. ARV IJ82, no. 129.
11 Philadelphia, JO.51.2. ARV 99J, no. 95; Athens,
129J. ARV 993. no. 96. CC. aIso the Nolan
amphorae, ARV 998, nos. 15-16, and an early red­
figure lekyt/¡os near the painter Ceaturing a fight
(Athens, 1289J. ARV 1002, no. u). There is a horse­
man lekythos by the Berlin Painter (Athens, 1274.
ARV 21 l. no. 190). IZ Athens, 1700. ARV 1146, no. So.
u MusJ xxiii (1932), 5 fr•
•• Ibid. 15 (Tübingen, E 90. ARV 488, no. 81).
CC. also the Berlin Painter's loutrop/¡oros in Erlangen (526, Crr. ARV 204, no. 108) with a fight between warriors and negroes. 15 Ibid. 15 (Philadelphia, JO.4.1. ARV990, no. 45). .6 MusJ xxiii. 14 f. 17 Ibid. 15. 18 Athens Annals 01 Archaeology iii (1969), 331 fr. 19 Pausl;lnias 1.29.6; MusJ xxiii. 21 n. 20; Conze,
25J fr.; AM xxxv (1910), 191 fr., and pIs. II-12~ H .
von Roques de l\Iaumont, Antike Reiterstandbilder
(1958), 14 fr. EspecialIy relevant are the following
monuments: Nike Temple frieze, LippoId, 193, and
pI. 69.3; Albani relief, Lippold, 195. and pI. 72.J.
%O Monument oC Dexileos: Conze, no. IIS8, pI. 248;
Lippold, 229, and pI. 80.1.
f\
11
"
II
Il
1I
í
"
REED WORKSHOP in mind when he reproduced fights (foot and horse at a fillet-festooned reed-tree) on a
small number of his larger lekythoi (PLATE 48. 1).1
There are no horsemen and no warriors on Group R lekythoi, but one of two lekythoi
from the Reed Painter's Workshop, '... inferior work, but hardly to be separated from
Group R .. .', now in New York and previously in the Gallatin Collection, features a
fight-foot and horse (PLATE 48.2).2 The action takes place at a fillet-festooned reed-tree;
• the combatants look like Group R people. The second Gallatin lekythos (PLATE 48. 3)3
, (youth seated at tomb, with youth and woman) presents similar difficulties of attribution.
, The seated-youth, head lowered in thought, arm raised to hold a spear (which 'disappears'
into the pediment of the tomb), appears on other lekythoi of Group R (PLATE 49. 2)4
(once with spears 'disappearing' into the pediment),s but the man and woman, who join
the youth, look enough like Reed people to have come from the Reed Painter's own hand.
Battle-scenes on loutrophoroi sometimes take place in the presence of a tomb;6 battle­
a, scenes of the Reed Workshop do not take place at the tomb. 1 know of one white lekytJws
. . with a combat at the tomb-a lekythos in Athens, attributed by Beazley to the manner of
the Woman Painter (PLATE 44. 3).7 The matt outlines are fine and now much faded; the
patternwork has entirely disappeared. The encounter between two warriors on foot takes
place in the presence of a low, broad, acanthus-crowned monument-a rather unusual
monument for the \Voman Painter. The combatants are fully armed. This vase has long
, been considered a visual record of the funeral games, 8 but at present we have no evidence
for games being performed at the grave in classical Athens. 9
An iconographical detail found on two lekythoi of Group R remains to be described:
large lekythoi at the tomb. Lekythoi stand at the tomb on earlier vases, but they are small.
The one certain representation of a large lekythos earlier than the Group R is an un­
attributed and iconographically unparalleled white lekythos in Ithaca, New York, which
shows a seated and a standing youth at a large lekythos (nearly three-quarter life-size)
standing on a low stepped base (PLATE 53. 1).10 The shape of the lekythos, its technique
(glaze outline), and patternwork suggest a date near the middle of the fifth century,
although the shape of the 'lekythos monument' with trumpet mouth and distinctive
handle looks later (see below). The lekythoi represented on Group R vases are smaller,lI
_ ,judging from the height of the human figures (c. 30 to 40 cm), and actually stand ón the
, base of the tomb (PLATES 49. 4, 50. 1). Black paint added to the mouth, neck, and lower
body suggests that a painted clay lekythos is intended. On lekythoi painted on lekythoi
I Louvre, S JI6J. ARV 138z, no. 134; Hobart,
30a. ARV 138Z, no. 135, and Para 486; Hobart, 30b.
ARV 138Z, no. 136, and Para 486.
• New York, 41.16z.lJ. ARV 1384, no. z.
J New York, 4J.16z.u. ARV 1384, no. l.
4 Louvre, CA 536. ARV 1383, no. 4.
5 Cleveland, z8.859. ARV 1383, no. 10~
6 AK xiv (1971), 74 fr.
7 Athens, 14517. ARV 1374, no. 18; AA! xx.~\".
z06 f. and z07 n. l. The folIowing may be added:
Athens, 1834. ARV 1388, no. z, 'fight, tomb', but
neither ColIignon and Couve (i. 583, CC 184Z) nor
Fairbanks (ii. 19Z) mentions a tomb.
a AM xxxv. 100 fr.; L. Deubner, Attische Feste
(193Z), z30 f.
9 Kurtz and Boardman, IZI; BCH CXV (1971), 60z fr., 614 fr. (bibliography for the epitaphios agon is gi\"en by Amandry in note 73 on page 614); ADelt xxiv (1969), I fr. (Vanderpool). 10 Ithaca, New York. F i. z09. B. Schmaltz, Unter­
suchungen zu den attischen Marmorlekythen (1970), JIZ fr. 11 London, D 71. ARV 1384, no. 15; Louvre; CA 537. ARV 1384, no. 18. 66
"
SHOULDER PATTERNS
figure decoration is rare. I The two vases comprising the Revelstoke Group (in the manner
of the Woman Painter) feature large lekythoi at the tomb,Z with painted details, including
figure decoration. 3 Both of the Revelstoke lekythoi are large, one is just under 50 cm,4,
the other is just over. S The shoulder palmettes are in the manner of the Woman Painter,
but the meander band is the ,running Reed type, enclosing saltire squares,described
above, in connection, with the Ana-vyssos lekythoi and their relation to the Reed and
\Voman Painters. Iconographically the Revelstoke lekythoi have elements in common
with the Woman Painter and the Reed Workshop. The women recall the WomanPainter
as does the eidolon. The tombs are like those of the Painter of Berlin 2464, himself related
in style to the Woman Painter, in pattern to the Reed Painter. The wóman bearing an
alabastron and an offering basket, who appears on both of the Revelstoke lekythoi, is
similar to the offering-bearing woman on theone lekythos of Group R with the enclosed­
saltire meander,6 and the seated youth who appears on both of the lekythoiis a popular
figure in the Reed Workshop.7
,
Representations of large lekythoi are othern,'l,'se known only from vases by the Trig!yph
Painter (PLATE 51. 3, 4), who is also in sorne way connected with the Reed Workshop. '
His lekythoi are large, so1ne nearly-60 cm. 8 T}l(;ir decoratíon consists of twCifigures
simply composed, three _~t mosto Tomb scenes predominate, although there are, also
scenes of prothesis, fé~aró~ Thanatos and Hypnos. 1 1 The tombs are broad, and crowned
with acanthus plants whose leaves are sometimes partly coloured. IZ A few tombs have
palmette anthemia. 13 Pedimented monuments and shadow monuments do not appear.
O
I Compare the fragmentary IOUtTOphoTOS, Athens,
17283.
1 Once Tarporléy, Brooks. ARV 1374. no. I (= Cato
Sotheby, 27 May 1929, 24 f., no. 136); Stockholm.
ARV 1374. no. 2 (= Cato Sotheby, 27 l\Iay 1929,
26 f., no. 137).
3 The Revelstoke vases are not without modern
restoration.
4 Cato Sotheby, 27 May 1929. ::6.
5 Ibid. 24.
6 Cf. Louvre, CA 537. Riezl.:r. pI. 89.
7Cf. Munich (ex Lugano, Schoen, 83). R. Lullíes,
Eine Sammlung griechischer Kleinkunst (1955), pI. 45;
Cle\'eland. 28.859. CV i, pI. 36.
8 TrigIyph Painter: Athens, Ig08. ARV 1385, no.
19 (60 cm; F ii, 180); BrusseIs, A 1022. ARV 1385, no.
15 (57'5 cm; F ii. 181). Athens, 1755. ARV 1385,
no. 17 (57'S cm; F ii, 177). Group R: London, 071.
ARV 1384. no. 15 (SI cm; F ii. 174); Athens, 1833.
ARV 1384, no. 17 (52 cm. F ii. 169). Athens, 1817.
ARV 1383, no. 1 I (49 cm; F ii. 167); Louvre, CA 467.
ARV 1384. no. 20 (49'5 cm; F ii. 172); Reed Painter:
Athens, 1907. ARV 1382, no, II9 (55 cm; F ii. ISo);
LouVte. S n6x. ARV 1382. no. 134 (55 cm; F ii.
166); Brussels. A 124. ARV 1381, no. 52 (52 cm; F ii.'
170). Smaller lekythoi by the TrigIyph Painter: Athens.
1770. ARV 1386, no. 27 (18 cm (to the shoulder);
F ii. 152); Athens. 1777. ARV 1387, no. 47 (25 cm;
F ii. 197); Athens. Acropolis, the following five un­
'
numbered lekythoi: ARV 1385. no. 29 (29 cm; AE
1958,77, and pI. 11); ARV 1385, no. 25 (20'5 cm; AE
1958, 80, and pi. 12); ARV 1387. no. I (:z.s cm; AE
1958, 100, and pI. 14 right); ARV 1387, no. 2 (25 cm;
AE 1958, lOO, and pI. 14 left)¡ ARV 1387, no. 3
(22 cm; AE 1958. lOO, and pI. 151eft). Stuttgart, KAS
140. PaTa 487, 'related to the Triglyph Painter'. CV i,
p, 39 (24'9 cm). The lekythos has Bird-type palmettes and meander; the composition may be compared with Athens, 1944. by the Carlsberg Painter (ARV 1235. no. 19). 11 Athens. 1756. ARV 1385. no. 4; Lyons. no
number. ARV 1385, no. S; Paris, Musée Rodin. ARV
1385. no. 6.
10 Berlín. 26&0. ARV 1385. no. 1; Berlín. 2681. ARV
1385, no. 2; Athens Market. ARV 1385. no. 3.
It Athens, 1796. ARV 1385, no. 7.
u Cf. Madrid, 1II93. ARV 1375. no. 9; Market.
ARV 1382. no. 122. Representative tombtypes may
be found on the folJowing: Athens. 16461. ARV 1387.
no. 43 (ESA Iv. pI. 4Ib); Athens. 19273. ARV1382,
no. IZ7 (ESA 1\', pI. 4ob); Mannheim, 14. ARV 1372,
no, 12 (CV i; p. 45).
H Berlín, 2680; Athens, 2038. ARV 1386, no. 31.
The decoration of the shaft of the tomb may be com­
pared with that on Würzburg, 564 (ARV 1383, no. 2),
which is said to have becn repainted (Langlotz, 114),
and Toronto, 920.68.24 (ARV 1381. no. 199).
\
•
REED WORKSHOP
67
The Triglyph .Painter's style and iconography are not far from the Reed Workl~hop: note
especial1y the rubbery arms he1d awkwardly beside the head, the bone1ess flngers holding
up a garment l (oc nothing at all),Z the pose of the figures seated at the tomb,3 and the
shrubberygrowing about them. 4o Thanks to theTriglypb. Painter's passion foc eccentric
detajIs, his_ W:Qrk. is' .easily
. . . recognizable:
_.... tombs with triglyphs,5 dresses with ivy~be~ry
patterns, 6 biers and graves with ducks' and huge lekythoi. 8 Some of the lekythoi repre­
sented by the Triglyph Painter are very large. They differ from those represented on
lekythoi of Group R and the Reve1stoke Group in the formation of the mouth, which is
decidedly trumpet shape. Some have painted details in black, and are, therefore, perhaps
made of clay,9 but others are without added details and are perhaps of stone. IO The
trumpet mouth can be found on several lekythoi decorated by the Triglyph Painter.I'
Neither the trumpet mouth nor the round moulding at the neck occurs on lekythoi from
the Reed \Vorkshop, with one exception-a large lekythos by the Reed Painter (man
eseated at tomb, with man and woman) in Chicago (PLATE SI. I).U Both the pose of the
seated man and the structure of the tomb can be paralleled on a lekythos by the Triglyph
Painter. 13 Not so close, but unquestionably .comparable, is the composition on a very large
lekythos in Copenhagen (PLATE 52. 1), one of two members of the Class of Copenhagen
4986, connected not in style oí drawing, but in shape: trumpet mouth, slender neck,
strongly sloping shoulder (with moulded neck-ring), and somewhat ovoid body, tapering
sharply towards a substantial disc foot. 14 The second lekythos, in New York, although
essentiallythe same shape, is small (21'6 cm) (PLATE 52.2).15 The patterns are not charac­
teristically Reed, but the style of figure decoration is: note especially the 'shadow monu­
ment' behind the principal acanthus-crowned tomb. Beazley thought that the New York
vase had something in common with Berlin 2463,16 itse1f clase to the Painter of Berlin
2464 (see p. 62).17
A third large (48'3 cm) lekythos with Reed elements and a similar shape is unattributed,
one of several offerings in an adult's tile-covered grave in the Kerameikos (PLATE SI. 2).18
The scene is the visit to the tomb-a broad shaft with horizontal finial. On one side
stands a woman (rather badly effaced), on the other sits aman, one hand on a shield, the
-
a.
..~~,..
1 Lidingo, MiIlesgárden, 94. ARV ]385, no. ]4.
. , cr. Paris Market. ARV ]382, no. II8; Basle, Geigy.
ARV ]386, no. 32; once Athens, prívate. ARV ]385.
no. 12•.
2 Atbens. 1756.
3 Athens, ]754. ARV 1385, no. ]7; Sydney, 4].OJ.
ARV ]J86, no. 33; ef. also Athens, ]907. ARV lJ82,
no. 1I9.
4 Brussels, A 1022; Munieh (ex Lugano, Sehoen,
82); Athens. 1756; Louvre, S 3893. ARV IJ82, no.
115 qu.; Market. ARV 1382, no. I2%j Athens, 164%3
and 1832 (both unattríbuted).
5 CarIsruhe (B2689). ARV 1386, no. %Oj Louvre,
MNB #0. ARV 1386, no. ZI; ARV 1384.
6 Züríeh, University, %568. ARV 1386, no. 38;
Berlín, 2680 and %681.
7 Athens, ]756 (bier); Louvre, MNB #0 (grave);
Wansaw ]4%406. ARV ]385, no. 8 (grave).
s Athens, 1756 (bier); Athens, ]908. ARV ]385, no.
]9 (graye; see AE 1906, 16); Zürieh, University, %568
(grave).
9 Athens, 1908 j Zürieh, University, 2568 (fillet
around neek) ..
10 Athens, 1756•
JI Athens, 175S.ARV 1385, no. ]7; Athens, Aeropolis,
no number. ARV ]385, no. ] I (AE 1958, pI. 6 left;
er. also AE 1958, pis. 6 right aJld 13).
l% Chieago, Art Institute. 07.18. ARV ]J81, no. II4.
II Lidingo, l\Ii11esgárden, 94.
14 Copenhagen, 4986. ARV IJ89, no. 1; CV iv, pi.
173. 1 and p. 134 (55'4 cm).
u New York, 07,1. ARV 1389, no. 2; F ii. 196.
16 This note is in the Beazley Archive.
17 Berlin, %463. ARV 12#.
lS AM Ix.w (1966), # f. (90, hS 95).
•
"
68
SHOULDER PATTERNS
other raised, holding spears. The pose oI the seated man may be paralleled on the Reed Painter's large lekythos in Chicago (PLATE SI. 1) and on a lekythos by the Triglyph Painter. I Less close, but comparable, are the seated youths on Copenhagen 4986 (PLATE 52. 1) and on the Huge Lekythoi in Madrid (PLATE 54. 1) and Berlin (PLATE 54. 2). The
patternwork of the Kerameikos vase is neither characteristically Reed, nor clearly anyone
else's: the egg pattern at the neck-ring is carefully executed, as are the shoulder palmettes
and the running meander without pattern squares. Great care, too, is given to a few
details of figurework-the man's face, his hair, and his eyes. The heads of both figures
are strictIy profile, as are those on the Huge Lekytnoi. There is a second 'shadow' monu­
ment and a sketchy indication of terrain. 2 Both details suggest a Reed affiliation. The
type of tomb, although not very common on Reed lekythoi, does appear. 3
The shape of the Kerameikos lekythos is very like Copenhagen 4986: trumpet mouth,
moulded neck-ring, strongly sloping shoulder, high thin handle, and narrowbase meeting
a substanti';ll (rilled) foot. The body is,however, more nearly cylindrical, nearer the shape
of the Huge Lekythoi. The neck of the Kerameikos lekythos was white, apparently with
sorne sort of red painted decoration,04 a characteristic feature of the Huge Lekythoi, not
found on other white lekythoi;5 the mouth and foot, instead of being painted black in the
usual manner, are red;6 compare the treatment of the Huge Lekythoi (see below).
Lastly, and most importantly, there is a limited use of shading-skiagraphia;7 on white
lekythoi shading only occurs on Huge Lekythoi. 8 The Kerameikos lekythos, therefore, in
shape and technique stands between the Reed Workshop9 and the Huge Lekythoi.
19. HUGE LEKYTHOI
The Huge Lekythoi,IO five in number, share a common shape, technique, and style of
decoration. They look like the work of one man in the last decade of the fifth century.
Three of the five are approximately one metre high; 11 two are just under 70 cm, IZ not
much larger than the Triglyph Paintei's largest, orCopenhagen 4986. The shape of the
best-preserved examples is a nearly straight-sided cylinder, with trumpet mouth, moulded
neck-ring, and substantial foot (PLATE 54).13 The proveniences of two are known: the
two Huge Lekythoi in Berlin were found at Alopeke lo4 (modern Ambelokepoi)15 in 1872.
The proveniences of the other three are unknown, but between the 1870S and very ear1y
Lidingo, MiIlesgárden, 94.
AM l:xxxi. 44.
3 ADelt viii (1923), 122, fig. 2 (zeta).
4 AM l:xxxi. 44.
5 Cf. Madl~fitt x. 156 f.
6 AM l:xxxi. 44.
7 Ibid.
8 The Copenhagen lekythos may perhaps be com­
pared: CV.iv, pp. 134 f.
9 ARV 1390. Beaziey placed the Huge Lekythoi
c10sest to Group R.
I
a
ARV 1390; J\iladMitt x. 155 fr. (Brommer).
Mad¡'\tIitt x. 155 n. 2 (Madrid, Paris, 'Erbach').
la Ibid. 155 n. 2 (Berlín).
Il Ibid., colour plate 1; MonPiot xii (1905), 32, fig. 1
(without mouth).
14 Furtwangler, Beschreí'bUng, ii (1885), 768 f. Berlin,
268.... ARV 1390, no. 3; Berlin, 2685. ARV 1390,
nO·4·
IS W. Judeich, Topographie van Athen (1905), 158,
162; C. W. J. Eliot, Coastal Demes'Of Attica (1962),148.
10
11
I